Education Commons^™

Improving Engagement Of Construction Industry Firms In Apprenticeship Training In A Post-Recession Economy, Eoghan Ó Murchadha, Roisin Murphy

Conference papers

The Irish economy is currently experiencing a recovery phase following a ‘lost decade’ of growth due to the severe economic downturn of 2007. While the construction industry in Ireland is recording increased output, and improving rates of employment, in the vital economic and labour market sector of apprenticeship there is a significant lack of engagement. Without employer buy-in to apprenticeship training, there exists potential future skills gaps and lack of efficacy of the construction industry. This increasingly likely possibility is disquieting, not just for the possible impact upon the future of apprenticeship but also for the Irish economy as a …

Developing Mobile Apps For Improving The Orientation Experience Of First-Year "Third Level" Students, Nevan Bermingham, Mark Prendergast, Trevor Boland, Mary O'Rawe, Barry Ryan

Conference papers

Smartphone usage by students has increased rapidly over the last number of years, and research points to an expectation for increased utilisation of mobile applications in college educational environments. First year students have particular needs when they transition to higher education (or 'third level'), as they can experience a number of personal, social and cultural difficulties. Orientation is a critical stage for these students and the earlier students have access to important orientation information, the less stressful the initial stages of college are. At Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), the authors designed a bespoke mobile application tailored to the particular …

Harnessing Technology To Make Learning (And Teaching) More Fun., Barry Ryan, Julie Dunne

Conference papers

This paper describes how various technologies were introduced into foundation science modules both to enhance student engagement and feedback, and also to cope with increased teaching workload. It mostly deals with freely available software or tools available through a VLP (virtual learning platform, e.g. Blackboard or Moodle), but also includes audience response ‘Clickers’ which were purchased. The technologies discussed are user-friendly and do not require advanced IT skills. The paper includes successes, but also includes some less successful attempts to integrate technology and explores the possible reasons.

As third level funding is reduced, many academics are coming under increased pressure …

The Measurement Of Success In External Engagement Activities, Mike Murphy

Conference papers

Our ambition is to identify, through the presentations and the discussion, a number of key insights and necessary actions for development of more and deeper partnerships between Higher Education Institutions and Employers.